In the manufacture and use of rotary fluid energy translating devices of the sliding vane types, it has been common to provide a vane pump housing in which a pair of end plates and a cam ring are positioned with the cam ring interposed between the end plates. A rotor is rotatably mounted on the cam ring and has a plurality of circumferentially extending vanes adapted to engage the contour of the cam ring. The housing has a liquid inlet and the interior of the housing is pressurized by the liquid.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a rotary fluid energy translating devices of the sliding vane types which does not require a pressurized housing; which is relatively simple in construction; which can be utilized in a plurality of systems such as a pump, a fuel system, an electric motor driven in-line hydraulic pump, in a transmission system and as a liquid driven motor.
In accordance with the invention, a rotary fluid energy translating device of the sliding vane type useful as a pump or motor comprising a pressure contained vane unit assembly adapted to be submerged in a body of liquid. The pressure contained vane unit assembly comprises a pair of support plates, a cam ring interposed between the support plates, a rotor rotatably mounted in the cam ring and having a plurality of circumferentially extending vanes adapted to engage the contour of the cam ring and a flexible plate interposed between the cam ring and each of the support plates. Each support plate includes a hub portion spaced from its respective flexible plate The assembly is clamped together with a clamping force in excess of the hydrostatic forces within the assembly. One of the support plates has an axial opening for insertion of a drive shaft into driving connection with the rotor and the other of the support plates has an axial liquid passage. Each support plate includes radial liquid passages defined by a groove at the juncture with its associated flexible plate. When used as a pump, the assembly is submerged in a liquid and the rotor is driven to provide a pump, the radial passages provide inlet passages and the axial passage provides an outlet. The pressure contained vane unit assembly can also be used as a hydraulic motor by utilizing the axial passage as an inlet from a pressurized source such that the radial passages function as outlets for the fluid after its energy has been dissipated by rotating the rotor and vanes.